Onion

3 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Onion \On"ion\, n. [F. ognon, fr. L. unio oneness, unity, a
     single large pearl, an onion. See {One}, {Union}.]
     1. (Bot.) A liliaceous plant of the genus {Allium} ({Allium
        cepa}), having a strong-flavored bulb and long hollow
        leaves; also, its bulbous root, much used as an article of
        food. The name is often extended to other species of the


        genus.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     2. The flavor of an onion[1].
        [PJC]
  
     {Onion fish} (Zool.), the grenadier.
  
     {Onion fly} (Zool.) a dipterous insect whose larva feeds upon
        the onion; especially, {Anthomyia ceparum} and {Ortalis
        flexa}.
  
     {Welsh onion}. (Bot.) See {Cibol}.
  
     {Wild onion} (Bot.), a name given to several species of the
        genus {Allium}.
        [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  onion
       n 1: edible bulb of an onion plant
       2: bulbous plant having hollow leaves cultivated worldwide for
          its rounded edible bulb [syn: {onion plant}, {Allium cepa}]
       3: an aromatic flavorful bulb

From Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary [easton]:

  Onion
     The Israelites in the wilderness longed for the "onions and
     garlick of Egypt" (Num. 11:5). This was the _betsel_ of the
     Hebrews, the Allium cepe of botanists, of which it is said that
     there are some thirty or forty species now growing in Palestine.
     The onion is "the 'undivided' leek, _unio_, _unus_, one."